The Opposite
by tenteitudonadadeu
Summary: Quinn comes out to her parents, but their reaction doesn't really meet her expectations, and suddenly, se finds herself trapped by an unexpected (and kinda crazy) Cupid.. Faberry week 1 Blind date! (4 chapters) AU
1. The Hardest Part

**AN: So... I've always written in portuguese and this is my first attempt at writing something in english.. **

**It's a translation from one of my stories in pt (O Contrário), but it's one of my favorites and it fits in the Blind Date Day from Faberry Week..**

**Anyways, forgive my mistakes and please review!**

**(Also, Tks to Argnine... What would I do without you?)**

...

**Part 1/4 - The Hardest Part**

...

"_I can't do this..."_

Tina rubbed her eyes and sank back into the pillows. "It's two a.m. and I have no idea what you're talking about ..."

_"Actually, it's 5:30, and you do know. You were the one who talked me into this in the first place..."_

Tina huffed and turned the lamp on, causing her boyfriend to hid his head under the pillow.

"All I did was agreeing with you when _you_ said it was time, Quinn." She stood up and dragged herself to the kitchen, knowing that sleeping again was out of question. She could hear her friend's ragged breathing over the phone. "You're freaking out, just breathe. Everything's going to be fine... "

Quinn snorted. _"You don't really believe in that."_

"Of course I do ..." Tina yawned. "I believe in ... Something. You? "

_"You know, this is confusing ..."_

"It's five a.m., Quinn. You can't expect me to make sense. "

_"Five thirty."_

"Whatever."

Tina heard her friend breathe deeply.

_"You know what? I'll just call them and cancel._ _I'll say that ... That I have a cold or something._ _My nose is a bit stuffy. Do I sound sick for you?"_

"Oh, no. No, no, no. It's been a year, you can't postpone it forever, Quinn." Tina sat in a chair, feeling a little less sleepy.

_"One week longer is not going to hurt anyone, right?"_

"And you'll say the exact same thing next week, and the next, and after that, and the next, and then once again, and ..."

_"Okay, okay! I get it!"_ Exclaimed Quinn, Tina could almost hear her eyes rolling.

"You can't runaway anymore, Q. They will find out eventually. And it's better that they hear it from you, than from a wicked neighbor." She bit her pinky nail. "Unless you're considering moving to Canada, or something."

"_I guess I'll just have to move anyways."_

"Ugh! You're being over dramatic, it's kind of annoying, especially at 5am."

"_5:30"_

"5:45, actually."

"_Hummmm…" _Quinn went silent and Tina put her on speaker while starting the coffee machine_. "So, what should I do?"_

"Isn't that obvious? Stick with the plan, of course." She ran a hand through her hair. "You'll go into that restaurant, sit in front of your parents, look them in the eye and say ..."

…

"Mom, Dad, I'm gay." Quinn took a deep breath and shoved the toothbrush back in her mouth, shaking her head softly before spitting white foam into the sink. She stared at her own hazel eyes through the mirror. "Mom, do you remember when I was a child? You always thought it was funny when I'd put my Barbies to sleep and lock Ken out of the house ... "

She made a face and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"This is ridiculous ..." She muttered, glancing at her phone and considering calling Tina again, or maybe Santana. "Get a grip, Fabray!" She scolded herself out loud and turned to face the reflection in the mirror. "You're a strong, independent woman, you're 26 and so... so gay." She smiled mockingly. "Great! Now tell that to your parents!"

Quinn bit her lip and pulled her hair up into a ponytail as she returned to the bedroom to retrieve her makeup case. She applied eyeliner and mascara carefully, the way she knew Judy would approve. Also put the earrings that her father gave her for Christmas and the most delicate dress she could find in her closet (cream colored with small pink flowers in it).

"I'm still the same person ..." She spoke softly, firming the ponytail and removing the excess of lipstick. "I'm still me."

…

Judy checked her golden watch for the third time and drummed her fingers on the table top before taking a long sip of her extra sweet drink. "What do you think the 'important thing' is?" She asked her husband, making air quotes with her free hand. "Do you think she finally found a boyfriend? I bet it's that Blaine guy, from work. She's always talking about him and he is so handsome…" One more sip. "I just hope our grandchildren won't inherit his eyebrows… That amount of facial hair is extremely unappealing."

"He works on television, the least we can expect from him is to be handsome, Judy. And as far as we know, he can be an entirely different person behind the cameras." He eyed the glass on his wife's hands and his throat dried while his fingers twitched. Russel was proudly sober for five years (a fact that did not make him immune to alcohol). "And really, those eyebrows ..." He pursed his lips disapprovingly. "Honestly, I don't think some random fellow will be good enough for our daughter."

"You're her father, no man will ever be good enough for you." She glanced at the clock again. "6 minutes late. Do you think something happened? "

"Have you seen the traffic in this city? She's probably on her way."

"I told you we should have called when we left. If you had listened to me, she'd be here by now."

"Don't be silly, Judy. You can't control our daughters 24/7…"

Judy was about to answer when the restaurant door opened and Quinn arrived with flushed cheeks and blond hair a little disheveled by the wind. Her eyes scanned the place before she found her mother waving excitedly from a table in the corner.

The blonde took a deep breath and walked to them, sitting heavily in one of two vacant chairs.

"You're late, darling." Remarked Judy, folding her hands across the table.

"I know, sorry, I've got stuck in traffic ..." Quinn replied, tucking a rebel strand of golden hair behind her ear.

"I told you so…" Mumbled Russel.

"I should have left earlier, but…"

"Haa!" Judy exclaimed, smiling at her husband. "See? We should have called ..."

Russel narrowed his eyes and his daughter arched an eyebrow.

"But we're all here now and you, dear, look just lovely!"

"And these are the earrings I gave you for Christmas, right?" Asked Mr. Fabray. "Do you like them?"

The blonde took a hand to the pearls hanging from her ears and smiled weakly.

"So, my dear? What's so important? "The older blonde asked, resting her chin on the back of her hands.

Quinn licked her lips and looked away. The napkin on her lap appeared to be so interesting all of a sudden. "This, is this satin?" She asked, lifting the white cloth and squeezing it between her fingers.

"I don't know, honey." Judy replied quickly, consumed by her curiosity. "But we did not come here to talk about napkins, right?"

"I guess not ..." Quinn replied, still looking down and feeling like a child who had broken and hidden her mother's favorite vase. She looked up slightly and met her father's bright blue eyes.

She hated that feeling, of not being able to sustain their gazes, as if they could learn all the truth just by staring at her long and carefully enough. She hated feeling uncomfortable at every family meeting, and most of all, she hated that her lack of interest in men was always mistaken for criticism.

'Picky girls will always end up alone, Quinnie…' was her aunt's speech. She rubbed her forehead. It was so exhausting, pretending to be something she was not, having to be careful with her words and pronouns, lying about the girls she had dated, finding a masculine alternative to replace the names of women with whom she was involved… All that just to get her mom out of her neck.

What was the point in making her mother happy if it only made Quinn feel increasingly distant from her family. She was tired of living a lie. That's why she had arranged that lunch with her parents, to be honest with them about everything.

"Miss?"

"Hum?" Quinn looked up to find a waiter offering her a menu with a smile. "Oh, thank you ..."

"When you're ready to order, just call me." He spoke softly before retreating.

"Oh, dear, have you seen the way he looked at you?" Judy asked, her green eyes flashed at her younger daughter. "Don't look at me like that, honey, I know he's just a waiter, but it might be fun to flirt with people like him ..."

Quinn squinted, confused for a moment and then she blushed, shaking her head in disbelief. "No! No, no…" She giggled. "Oh, mother ... I don't ... In fact, that's what I wanted to talk about... "

She took courage, thinking about how nice it would be when she didn't have to deal with situations like that anymore. " I.. I have nothing against dating a waiter, but I have no interest in it and there is a reason why... I mean.. I'm not interested, and it's almost so obvious, and…"

She casted a glance at her parents, but they just stared at her, looking as clueless as ever.

"Don't you understand what I'm trying to say?" She asked, not wanting to use all the words.

"Of course we do, honey, you're not interested in the waiter." Her mother replied, waving her hand before smiling meaningfully. "And I bet I know why…"

"You do?" Russel and Quinn asked simultaneously.

"Of course I do! I'm your mother and a mother always knows!"

"Really?" Quinn arched an eyebrow, completely shocked.

"You're in love!"

Quinn gapped. "I… am?" Judy nodded, smiling brightly, Quinn covered her eyes with her hands. "I guess we're not on the same page here, mom…"

"Oh, Quinn, you can tell us… Is that Blaine guy, isn't it?"

"Blaine?" Her eyes widened. "No!"

"He's so handsome and you two look so good together on television!"

The blonde stared at her mother and didn't know whether to laugh or scream at her to stop.

"You both are so smart, and journalists and work for same TV station! You two are... "

"… gay." Quinn finished in one breath.

"… perfect for each… w-what?" Judy stopped gesturing and looked (really looked) at her daughter for the first time that day.

Quinn looked so small, shrunken into herself. Her gaze was fixed on the glass table between them, and her face was red.

"What did you say? Quinnie? I think I've misunderstood."

"I said that Blaine is gay."

"Oh .." She straightened herself. "Well, then who is he?"

"Who's who, mom?"

"The man you're in love with…"

Quinn took a deep breath and leaned back in her chair.

"There is no one. And no man.. Nor will ever be. "

"But I thought ..." Judy was puzzled, the blonde could tell. "Why not?"

"Because I'm gay too, mom."

Mrs. Fabray was silent and Quinn wouldn't dare to look at her father that moment.

"Why?" Judy finally stammered.

"Why what?"

"Why do you think you're gay?"

"I don't _think_ I'm gay, mom, I'm sure."

"You cannot say such a thing! How can you be sure?" Judy shook her head, her green eyes penetrated the hazel ones in a way that made Quinn feel literal pain. "You weren't gay last week..."

"I was. I've always been... It just took me a while to realize."

"And… How did… How did you learn that?" She shivered. "You didn't… have… intercourse..? With other...?"

Quinn's face went red again. "Er… Well, I kinda.. sort of… yeah…"

"Oh, Lord!" She put a hand over her heart dramatically. "What do we have to do to get you back to normal? Is there a doctor? Or… Or you could talk to father Thomas, he always knows what to say, and…"

Quinn covered her ears and felt her eyes burn. "I am normal!" She practically shouted, attracting some startled looks. "I am normal. I didn't choose to like other women like that, but I can't help it... "

"How would you know, Quinn? How? This is too hasty, we should talk to doctor.. "

"No! Mom!" She exclaimed, leaning over the table and feeling her chest constrict. "Remember when I was little, how I would say I didn't like onions?"

Judy breathed shakily and gulped down the rest of her drink before nodding.

"You said I couldn't say that without trying it. And then I did try and it was disgusting…"

Judy's eyes were shining with unshed tears, while a few droplets streamed down her daughter's cheeks.

"Then you said, 'Try again, maybe the second time will be better.'" Quinn wiped her face with the back of her hand. "And I tried again and still hated and even today, I just don't like onions or things that have onions in it."

"What.. What are you trying to say, Quinnie?"

"To me, men are like onions… I tried to like them, I've had my fair share of experience with them, but it just doesn't feel right…"

Judy sniffed. "I don't understand..."

"I don't expect you to understand, mom ... I just need you to accept me..." She said in a broken tone.

"Oh, Quinn ... Are you really serious?" She blew her nose discreetly on the satin napkin.

"I wouldn't joke about something like this, mom…"

"Oh, Russell, you heard that?"

Quinn finally dared to glance at her father. He was quiet, his hands clasped over his mouth as he stared at some random spot across the restaurant.

Suddenly he raised his arm and the two blondes quivered, but he just waved to the waiter.

"I'll have two steaks with bacon, and another drink with a big salad for my wife, please." He ordered calmly, returning the menu to the smiling guy before turning to his daughter, who was staring oddly at him. "What? You're not telling me you're a vegetarian too, are you?"

"No, I still… Bacon…"

"I'm glad." He smiled softly.

Quinn smiled back sheepishly, not knowing what to expect anymore. Never, not even in a thousand years, she would have expected such a reaction from her father. At least not from the Russel who raised her. But that Russel had changed so much, thanks to Alcoholics Anonymous.

Judy looked at them in disbelief. "Russel! What are you doing?"

"Having lunch?" He asked, without diverting his eyes from Quinn's.

"Didn't you hear what our daughter just said? How can you be hungry after hearing such a thing?"

He turned to face her, slowly. "You wanted to leave early and I couldn't finish breakfast."

"Our daughter just announced she likes to sleep with other women and you'll just sit there and eat? As if nothing had changed?" She sounded outraged and her tone really hurt Quinn.

"Nothing has… I don't feel different. Do you feel different, sweetheart?"

The younger blonde opened her mouth to reply, completely shocked at the scene that unfolded before her. "No…"

"See? Everything is normal, Jud…"

"Russel!"

"What do you want me to say, Judith?" He finally raised his voice, but still sounded perfectly calm. "That I will disown my baby girl just because she finally understood why her previous relationships never worked out?" He glanced at Quinn out of the corner of his eyes. "No offense."

She shook her head no and just stared at them, completely baffled.

"Well, more or less ..." Answered the older blonde, a little awkwardly. "You're not even a bit shocked with all this? Aren't you offended?"

"Shocked yes, but not offended… The only thing I want for my daughters is for them to be healthy and happy, and if Quinn believes she'll only find happiness with another woman, then so be it! I can't see anything wrong with that…" He paused. "Also, the onion thing was rather convincing…"

Quinn laughed and her dad joined her.

"I don't think you got it right, dear, our daughter is a lesbian. A lesbian!"

Right on cue, the waiter arrived with her drink and Judy covered her face with both hands.

"How can you accept that, Russel?"

"Mom…" Quinn tried again, reaching for her mother, but Judy dodged her touch.

"I need some time, Quinn. I'm so sorry." She stood up. "But I need some time."

"Judy..." Russel stood up too and tried to grab her arm, but she was faster and walked around the table, leaving the restaurant in a heartbeat.

Quinn watched the door slam and for a second, she expected her father to follow his wife, but was surprised once again when he just sighed and sat back down. "My keys were in her purse... I'll need a ride home later."

The blonde nodded absently, but then she realized what he had just said. "Wait, you're still having lunch with me?"

"Of course, I didn't cross the city to get back home with an empty stomach." He said, looking for the waiter to cancel the salad and pushing Judy's drink towards Quinn.

"I'm so sorry, Dad ..." She mumbled, choking in agony.

"No." He stated firmly. "I apologize for your mother, Quinn. She's so worried about your sister's divorce, and… well, actually, when Franny called saying she had news to share, your mom thought she might be pregnant."

"Oh…" Quinn's eyes widened. It had been a few months that her older sister was going through an awful divorce, but their parents just learned about that on the previous week. Maybe she really should have postponed that lunch after all...

"And today you... Well, to many bombs and not enough time to do the damage control..." He said, scratching his neck nervously. "Your mother was expecting grandkids and got a divorce and a..." Russel cleared his throat. "a..."

"Gay daughter..."

"Yeah..."

"I still can have kids, you know..."

"I know that, sweetheart. And your mother does too." He paused and frowned. "In fact, our new neighbors are ..."

"Someone finally moved to the Rutherford house?" She asked, glad with the change of subject.

"Yes, a pair of siblings. I think they must be around your age. Your mother knows more about them, the girl, Rachel, or something, she works at the hospital too."

"Hmm... "Judy was a nurse in the children's ward on the Presbyterian Hospital in NY.

"And the brother have a pool's cleaning business, I can't recall his name, but it's something Jewish.." The food arrived and they were interrupted for a few seconds. "But what I'm trying to say is that, apparently, they were raised by two men! And they turned out perfectly fine!" He proclaimed, as if that was the most amazing thing.

Quinn raised an eyebrow, but remained silent, chewing absently at her lunch.

"And I know you'll be a great mother someday, even if it is with another woman." He shoved a forkful of meat into his mouth.

The blonde narrowed her eyes. "Dad?"

"Hummm?"

"Why are you being so cool about this?" She shrugged. "Between you and mom, I've always thought..."

Russel dropped his silverware and wiped his mouth. "You're a grown woman, Quinn. I have no right to interfere in your life anymore." He took a sip of water. "Do I agree with that? No. I can't understand it either. But you are my daughter, and I love you. That will never change, regardless of what you choose to do with your life..." He placed a hand over hers across the table. "I just want to see you happy, sweetie."

She found herself speechless, drowning in her father's intense gaze. "Thank you ..." She muttered.

"And your mom agrees with me. She just needs some time... But I'll talk some sense into her when I get home. Everything's going to be fine, okay?"

"I really hope so."

"Oh, you know her, in less than a week she will be trying to find you a.. a.. "He moistened his lips. "... a girlfriend."

Quinn nodded without really believing those words, but then again, coming from her mother, anything was possible.

**AN: Let me know if you want me to keep translating.. **

**Or just review! :)**


	2. The Weirdest Part

**AN: Hey! Thank you all for the reviews and favorites and alerts! **

**Forgive my mistakes, English is not my first language.**

**We'll see Rachel in this chapter.. **

**Enjoy and please review..**

**...**

**Part 2/4 – The Weirdest Part**

**A Few Days Later**

"It was exactly the opposite of what I expected! Mom freaked out and left while dad... He stayed and had lunch with me.. And he was so cool about everything..." Quinn was lying on her bed with Marvin curled in a ball by her side, purring softly against her belly.

_"You know, he was also much more receptive about the divorce than mom... She nearly died from a heart attack in the middle of dinner." _

"He almost said he was proud of me, because I had the courage to tell them... And he said he would talk to Judy about it." Quinn went on, stroking Marvin's ears distractedly.

"_Alcoholics Anonymous?"_

"Alcoholics Anonymous." Agreed the younger blond. Their father had changed completely ever since he applied to the group.

"_So, are you still attending the dinner party next week?"_

"I'm not sure... If everything works out with mom, yeah, but I don't know... She was really mad." Quinn twisted her cat's tail on her fingers and bit the inside of her cheek.

"_You are coming. Things will fall back into place... It took her two days to talk to me after the divorce_ _debacle."_

Quinn grimaced and sighed deeply. "It's been almost a week for me, Fran."

_"I know, sis... But she'll come around. It took me a while to process the information as well, remember?"_

The blond nodded before realizing her sister could not see her through the phone. "Yeah..." Suddenly, Marvin jumped to the floor and ran towards the living room. Two seconds later, the doorbell rang. Quinn frowned. "Er.. Fran? I've got to go... Someone's at the door..." She stood up and followed her cat's path.

"_Were you expecting company?"_

"Not really..." The doorbell rang once again. "I'm coming!" She announced, a little annoyed. "Talk to you later..."

_"Okay, I'll call you tomorrow..."_

Quinn turned off her phone and peered through the peephole.

"Dad? What are you doing..." She began while opening the door. "...here." She froze when realized that her mother was standing right behind him. "Mom?"

"Oh, Quinnie..." Judy stepped forward and wrapped her in a tight bear hug. Quinn glanced at Russel over her mother's shoulder.

"The doorman let us in." He muttered, walking past them and into the apartment, examining the moderated mess and almost tripping over Marvin on the way to the couch.

"Mom?" Quinn let her arms drop after a few minutes and her mother seemed to catch on, releasing her bone crushing grip and pulling away slightly (not much) to look into her daughter's eyes.

"Oh, darling... I missed you so much..."Judy ran a hand through her hair and stroked her cheek softly. If a stranger was watching them, he would probably think they hadn't seen each other for several years.

"It's been a week, mom ..." Quinn said quietly. She had spent months away from her parents while in college.

"I know, honey, but I should have come earlier. I'm so sorry..." She squeezed the blonde's arm. "Forgive me, Quinn?"

"Sure, Mom ..." She whispered, giving space for Judy to enter the apartment.

"You caught me completely off guard at the restaurant, my dear..."

"Quinn, sweetie? Can you take this thing off of me?" Quinn glanced at her father and smiled upon seeing that Marvin had sat on top of him as if he were just another couch cushion.

She put the cat down and Russell followed him with his eyes. He never liked pets and at home they were strictly forbidden. But at least Marvin didn't try to lick him, like Fran's dog always did.

The three of them fell silent. Quinn sat in front of her parents on the loveseat and waited for them to say something but her father just surveyed the room while her mother stared at her own fingers.

"So ..." She started, crossing her legs and wondering whether to turn on the TV or not.

"I know I've asked this before, Quinn, but I have to ask again and I don't want you to get mad at me because of it, okay?" Judy blurted out, looking up as she crossed and uncrossed her fingers. "And I promise this will be the last time. I'm not questioning what you say. I just need to be sure..."

Quinn bit her lip and nodded, a little apprehensive.

"What you said in the restaurant, you really mean it?"

"Yeah, I do." Quinn breathed. "I know it can be hard to understand and if you need more time..."

"No, I don't ... I don't understand, in fact, I'll never understand, but I can't act like it's the end of the world..." Judy paused and looked at her husband, who smiled weakly. "And... You're still getting married and having kids and doing all the things that I dreamed for you, right?" Her eyes were almost pleading and the younger blonde grinned.

"Yes, mom.. I just need to find the right woman first."

Judy sighed at the word 'woman', but the sigh was her only reaction and Quinn decided that was progress.

"This... That's another thing your father and I..." Russel cleared his throat and Mrs. Fabray sat up. "That _I_ wanted to know."

The blonde looked from one another and then at Marvin, who was rubbing himself on her legs. "What?"

"I, we, I... Do I have a daughter in law?" She quivered slightly and ran a hand through her hair in a nervous gesture. "I mean, are you ... Seeing someone? Some? Someone? "

Quinn's jaw dropped. "Ahh .. No. No, actually, it's been a few months since I ended a relationship..." She didn't mean to bring that up, but she also had no reasons to hide. Not anymore.

"You... What? "Judy shook her head, finally meeting her daughter's eyes... "How come we didn't know about that?"

"I didn't think you would understand at the time, I was still dealing with my own inner conflicts... But it's not important, it wasn't that big of a deal... We only dated for 3 months... "

"How can you say that's not important?" Her mother asked, looking hurt, and her dad had a similar look on his face.

"I agree with your mother, sweetie.. It was a part of your life that we missed..." He said. "Everyone has secrets, I understand, but that didn't have to be. We are family, Quinn ... You have to know that you can count on us for anything..."

"I know, I'm sorry..." She mumbled, staring at a speck of dust on the floor.

"But what's done is done, I hope you can forgive us_, forgive me_ for my behavior, Quinnie." Judy went back to the conversation, sounding determined all of a sudden... "I also want you to go to the dinner party next Friday... There's someone I'd like you to meet..."

"Someone?" Quinn raised an eyebrow.

"I've put a lot of thought into this during the week and I believe that the best way of showing you that I'm.. okay.. with your... sexuality... is to introduce you to my future daughter in law." Judy made a face. "Gosh, I never thought I would say that... _Daughter_ in law... "

Quinn frowned. "I'm sorry, what?!"

"Well, you said you're not dating anyone and there's this girl from..."

"Mom!" Quinn cried out, standing up. Part of her was annoyed, but the other part knew she would be laughing about this whole thing later.

"Why are you mad?" Judy asked in an innocent tone.

Quinn shook her head, not knowing how to respond.

"I... I'll take back her invitation if you want me to, I just thought..."

"No, no ... Mom .." She laughed, but her laughter sounded awkward. "I just ... was not... You set me up on a blind date?" She could not believe her own words.

"Well, kind of... I just invited them for dinner, but I also invited all the other neighbors, so..."

"Wait, you said them?" Quinn sat back, on the edge of her seat this time, taking Marvin on her lap...

"The new neighbors I told you about last week..." Explained Russel. His look was apologetic, as if saying he wasn't conniving with his wife's scheming.

"The siblings?"

"Yeah... I invited them for the dinner party... The girl, Rachel, is single, gorgeous and successful.." Judy resumed talking...

Quinn opened and closed her mouth, not knowing exactly what to say. Of all the things she had ever expected her mom to do, well that one had never crossed her mind...

"She's a brunette, brown eyes... You like brunettes, don't you? Are they your type? "

"My type?" Quinn had no idea if she had a type or not...

"Well, at least you have always dated men with brown hair, except for that one boy, Sam... But I never liked you two together... You were too much alike..." She shook her head. "It looked like an incestuous affair between siblings... Twins. Identical twins..."

"Mom!" Quinn exclaimed, feeling slightly nauseous.

"Oh, honey, there's no reason to raise your voice, I'm right in front of you ..."

"How do you even know if this Rachel girl is gay?" Quinn asked, running her fingers through her hair.

Judy blinked a couple of times... "Well, she has two gay dads and she's also on Broadway... Why wouldn't she be gay?"

Quinn felt like hiding somewhere. It was typical of her mother, cling to stupid stereotypes.

"And if she's not gay, than she's probably... How is it that you're calling these days?" She looked at Russel... "Bisexual?"

Quinn shut her eyes. "Oh my..."

...

**Meanwhile...**

Rachel was singing really loudly without realizing what she was doing thanks to the earphones tucked inside her ears while she finished unpacking the last few boxes... She organized her things in a pile and her brother's into another one, while the common use stuff was thrown carelessly on the couch.

Taking care of the last boxes should be his job, but he was so stressed out with business that she decided to do something useful with her free time.

_I would give all this and heaven too, if only for a moment I could just understand…_ She sang, throwing a pot of hair gel in her brother's stack and finally moving to the last box. The label said 'kitchen' and she frowned when found photo albums instead of silverware. Definitely, her brother had a major problem regarding organization.

The small brunette took the first album in her hands and flipped it open carefully, smiling to the photo of her two dads in front of their old house in Ohio. She chuckled softly to Leroy's old fashioned mustache. Soon, she was lost in memories of birthdays, impromptu concerts with her brother in the living room and family vacations... She was tracing the outlines of her own face in a picture from 10 years ago when something touched her shoulder and the album tumbled in your hands, almost falling to the ground.

She held the book against her chest and turned around, removing the earphones with a sharp movement.

"Noah! Are you trying to scare me to death?" She questioned, shoving away her laughing brother with her free hand.

"I called you twice and you didn't respond!" He argued back.

"You saw I was wearing the earphones ..."

He looked at the white cables hanging off his sister's shirt. "Still, if it wasn't so loud, you would have heard me..."

"It wasn't too loud!"

"No," he began mockingly. "I could only hear it from the garage... Oh, wait, no, that was you singing!"

"You're so childish, Noah..." She muttered, dropping the album and hitting her brother lightly with her fists before hugging his shoulders.

He rested his hand on her lower back. "I'm a whole year older than you..." He remarked, just for the pleasure of pissing her off.

"But you've got the mind of an 8 year old child." She grinned, pulling away. "How was your day?"

"Too complicated for an 8 year old... But I brought dinner." He lifted a bag and she pulled it out of his hands, peering inside.

"No meat, right?"

"No, it has pork... Also bacon..."

"Technically, bacon is pork." The brunette murmured, pulling the cardboard packages from inside the bag and opening the one marked with a V.

"Whatever. You know you don't have to ask if it's vegan.. After so many years, the chances of me making a wrong order are very small..." He sat in front of her on the kitchen counter and opened his own food. "What about your day? Anything exciting at rehearsal, any news at the hospital?"

"Don't even get me started about the rehearsals... I'm starting to believe that our leading actor may have some kind of mental problem..."

Noah stopped his fork halfway to his mouth. "You're being mean again."

"No, I'm being very, very kind with my words."

"You are too critical, Rachel."

"I am. Proudly so." She chewed slowly. "You know, many people benefit from my criticism."

"I would like to meet one of them someday..."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Hum, speaking of people, we were invited to a dinner party next Friday."

Noah furrowed his brows. "Dinner? Where?"

"At the Fabray's..."

"What's that?"

"Our neighbors, two houses down the street."

"Oh... Cream colored tiles."

Rachel shot him a questioning glance.

"Their pool, cream colored tiles."

"That was the most useful piece of information I've ever heard." She muttered sarcastically, taking a sip of water.

"It's important for me..." He protested. "Anyways, what's with this dinner?"

"I'm not quite sure... Judy, the wife, invited me this afternoon."

"And that would be the nurse you told me about?"

"Mhum." Rachel agreed, pulling lock of hair behind her ear. "Apparently, the other neighbors are also invited, I think it's something they do every year to celebrate the beginning of summer."

"It sounds incredibly boring. Do we really have to go?"

"It would be rude not to after accepting the invitation, Noah."

"And you accepted it for me?" he asked, dropping the fork beside his plate.

"Well, yes.."

"Why?"

"Because Judy told me that they have two daughters. I thought you would be interested."

He wiggled his brows and offered her a lopsided smile.

"Just to clarify, I still do not agree with the way you treat women, but Judy seemed so eager to introduce her daughters to us and I figured they would like you better than me."

He frowned. "Why do you think they wouldn't like you?"

"Have you seen the Fabrays? Do you really think any of their daughters would rather be meeting a woman than the 'Puckassaurus'?" She asked, sounding a little snarky at the end.

"Says the woman who slept with my ex-girlfriend."

Rachel blushed furiously. "She was already your ex at the time... And we were both a little drunk that night."

"We both know she always had a thing for you..."

"That's irrelevant, Noah." She said, still sporting rosy cheeks.

He narrowed his eyes, but decided to change the topic anyways... "So what do we know about the Fabray's sisters?"

Rachel straightened in her seat and clasped her hands together, going into slideshow mode (only this time with no powerpoint presentation, obviously)... "Well, we have Francine, the older one, I think she must be around 30 and is getting a divorce..."

"Hmmm, great news..." He smiled, motioning for her to continue.

"I have no idea how she looks in person, but considering that Judy and her husband have light hair, I imagine hers to be blonde as well. And Judy is a pretty woman for her age, so I assume her daughters are also quite beautiful..."

"The all American perfect family..."

"Exactly." She nodded. "Judy told me she is a physician, nephrologist, I think.."

"I have absolutely no idea of what a nephrologist is..." He commented, grimacing...

"Kidney specialist."

"Ahh.. What about the other one?"

"Quinn."

The gender neutral name made him arch his eyebrows... "It's a boy?"

"No," Rachel chuckled softly. "Quinn Fabray! You know who she is!"

"I don't think so..."

"The woman that presents the morning news!" Rachel clarified.

"You know that my brain only starts working properly after 10, Rach..."

"You know who she is! I always turn the TV on her station while I prepare breakfast... You have your first meal looking at her..." His face lit up in recognition and Rachel grinned, always worked with her brother, relating things with food.

"Ahhh, the pretty blonde one? Who sits next to the guy with the bushy eyebrows?"

"That's her..."

"Hummm... She's fukin' hot..."

Rachel covered her face with one hand... "Couldn't you compliment people in a less crude way?"

"Nope.."

She shook her head. "Anyways, yes, that's her. And yes, she is very beautiful." The tiny brunette paused. "Stunning, actually."

"Is it me or are you interested?" He asked in a teasing tone.

"It's just your over sexualized imagination, Noah. I'm just stating that I find her to be an attractive woman." She drummed her fingers on the table. "Not to mention that you should probably suit her better than me..."

It was his turn to shake his head. "I don't get it.. How you can be so confident about everything in your life, but when it comes to other women ..."

"I'm not confident, I'm realistic. Women like her would hardly be interested in other women."

"_You are_ a woman like her." He pointed out.

"I'm an exception."

"Well," he started with a shrug. "One way or another, I think I'll give the older one a try. You know I like the experienced ones..."

"My old piano teacher can tell..." She muttered, standing up and taking the dishes to the sink.

"Mrs. Morgan! I haven't heard about her in years!" He also got up and took the empty bags to the trash.

"Me neither, at least not since your secret affair nearly got her arrested for child abuse..."

"Mmmm... Good times..." He scratched his chin. "Sometimes I miss being 13... All that energy all the time..."

"I don't think you've changed that much..."

He walked past her, soaking his hand in the sink and shaking it in front of her face, splashing water everywhere.

"Hey!" Rachel splashed him too.

"So Friday..." He grabbed the washing cloth. "What time does the party starts?"

...

**AN: Next – They will finally meet! :)**

**Should I keep going? **

**Please, review..**


	3. The Not so Embarrassing Part

**NA: Hey... Thanks again for the reviews and favorites and alerts!**

** Please, keep reading and reviewing and enjoying!**

** ... **

**Part 3/4 – The Not so Embarrassing Part**

** Friday**

"I still don't know why I'm here..." Santana grumbled, leaning back against the headboard just in time to be hit by a flying brown skirt.

"Moral support is completely meaningless to you, isn't it?" Asked Quinn, walking into the room and adjusting the strap of her bra.

"No. I just came 'cause Tina bribed me with food later." San threw the skirt back at the blonde. "And if I were you I wouldn't worry about going to this dinner."

"It's a family tradition."

"Where I came from, It's called showing off. My parents never made dinners for the neighbors and I grew up just fine."

"Can you guys stop bickering for a moment?" Tina yelled from inside the closet. "Quinn may actually meet the love of her life tonight."

Quinn and Santana shared a look and started laughing hysterically.

"Okay... That Rachel is probably straighter than you, Ti.." Remarked Santana.

"And even if she is interested in women, the last couple my mom tried to match ended up divorcing." Quinn smiled humorlessly, remembering the day her mother introduced her sister to her current ex-husband at a Christmas party at the hospital. 'The two of you are doctors, I bet you have a lot in common!' She had insisted.

"Why can't you girls be a little more romantic?" Tina asked, showing at the door with a dress in her hands. "Too colorful?"

"Horrifying!" Santana winced.

Quinn reached for the dress. "I like it.."

"C'mon Q, you can do better than this." Santana hopped off of bed and passed by her friends to get into the closet. "I was dragged here against my will, the least you can do is look sexy for my own viewing pleasure.."

Tina and Quinn waited while Santana went through the blonde's things.

"One more time, why you have to wear a dress?"

"I'm trying to convince my mom that being a lesbian doesn't mean I'll turn into a man... And also because is insanely hot outside and the idea is not that bad."

Santana huffed. "Okay.." She reappeared, a little disheveled, with a gray and navy blue dress in hands. "I like this one. It's not sickeningly girly, but it's delicate and sexy without being offensive..."

The blonde raised an eyebrow and took the clothes her friend was handing her, she dressed quickly and glanced down at her own body. The dress was mostly deep gray, except for the details on the bottom and around the neckline, that were from a dark blue see through material. It wasn't exactly short, but the see through part revealed a big expanse of her thighs. She let her hair fall to her shoulders and looked at her friends, searching for approval.

Santana reached over and undid her top two buttons. "I knew it would be perfect." She whispered, adjusting the blue stripe in the middle of dress. "If you don't get laid tonight, I swear..."

"I'm not expecting to get anything, San."

"I know, but it's so going to happen..."

The blond rolled her eyes. "What do you think, Ti?"

"I think... That it's seven o'clock and you're already late." She answered, glancing at her wrist watch.

"Crap!" She exclaimed, turning away quickly and entering her closet in search of black flats. "Why didn't you say so before?" She asked, running to the bathroom to apply some makeup.

"I don't spend my whole time looking at the clock, you know?" Tina laughed.

Santana leaned against the bathroom door. "Can we go now?"

"Thanks for stopping by, Ti..."

"No problem, Quinn."

"Speak for yourself." Santana grumbled, storming out of the apartment without saying goodbye.

Tina rolled her eyes and waved. "Good luck!"

...

Fran was the first person Quinn saw, her sister was reading something on her cell phone, outside the house, and looked up at the sound of footsteps. "You're late."

"I'm aware, but thanks for the remark..." The younger blonde muttered, skipping through the stone path and halting by the door.

"How are you doing?" Her sister asked in a hug.

"Fine, I guess.. You?"

"At the verge of a nervous breakdown, but sadly, that's already a common occurrence."

"The divorce?" Quinn asked, squeezing her shoulder gently.

"Yes, it was supposed to be over today, but Evan insists on making things difficult. Everything always has to be so dramatic for him..." She sighed, looking genuinely tired. "But that's not important, someone's got a date tonight..." She sing-songed, throwing an arm around Quinn's shoulders.

"Ugh.. You know how delusional mom can be sometimes..." Quinn breathed, rubbing her forehead with her fingertips. "It's not even a real date... She's probably straight anyways."

"Right." Fran raised an eyebrow looking exactly like her sister (it was a family thing). "Hence the pretty dress and..." She leaned a little closer, sniffing Quinn's neck. "Isn't that your favorite perfume?"

Quinn freed herself from the hug. "God, I had forgotten how annoying you can be sometimes..." She crossed her arms across her chest. "But yes.. I... Well, just because it's highly unlikely, doesn't mean I cannot try, right?"

"Hmmm... By the way, I've already met your suitor, she is quite charming..."

"Is she?"

"Yeah, and good looking. I really think you guys will get along."

"Did she seem gay to you?"

"No, but you don't seem gay to me either." Fran shrugged.

"Good answer."

Fran smirked. "Also, I've met the brother too... He is very..."

"Quinn!" The door opened suddenly, interrupting their conversation. "You're here! What are you doing outside?" Russell stepped back for them to enter. "You're late and I suspect your mother might be having a minor stroke because of it."

"Sorry, I was busy and..."

"Girls! Oh Lord, Quinn, I was starting to think you'd given up on coming!"

"Hi mom .." Quinn complimented some of the neighbors that were hanging near the door and let herself be dragged inside by her over enthusiastic mother.

"Carmen is almost done with the food.. You were supposed to be here by seven."

"Well, technically is still seven..." The blonde pointed out running a hand through her hair and adjusting some loose strands behind her ears.

"Yes, 7:53. Living in Manhattan made you forget the definition of punctuality?" Judy questioned crossing the house and finally stopping at the glass doors that opened to the huge garden, where most of the neighbors were gathered.

"I'm sorry, mom..." She replies tiredly, deciding to let it go.

"Well, what matter is that you're here now." She said, opening the door for her daughter. "Now we just have to find..."

"Owch!"

"Ahhh!" Quinn jumped back, using one hand to grab the arm of the girl she had just collided with while the other rested on the glass door, preventing them both from falling to the ground.

"...Rachel." Judy finished with a hand over her chest and wide eyes.

Dark brown eyes met Quinn's hazel ones for a long moment and the blonde moved her hand from the girl's arm to her waist, making sure she had managed to regain her balance.

"Damn..." The tiny brunette breathed out, looking away and ducking down to gather a cell phone that had shattered on the floor.

Quinn crouched too and handed her the little black battery that had ended up at her feet. The brunette stood up and reassembled the device before pressing the power button.

"Thanks. Sorry. Thank you." She mumbled, without averting her eyes from screen that remained black. "Shoot, my brother's gonna kill me if it's broken..."

The blonde raised an eyebrow and glanced around, looking for Judy, who had suddenly evaporated. Her father was talking to Mr. Fisher from across the street and her sister smiled in her direction, gesturing emphatically at the short girl who was still by her side. Quinn frowned and studied the woman again before casting a questioning look to Francine.

"That's her!" Her sister shouted without actually making a sound.

Quinn pursed her lips and another eyebrow rose to join the first one. She looked back at the brunette - who now pressed the power button desperately, while chanting 'don't be dead, please, don't be dead' over and over again - and took a tentative step towards her.

"Er ... Can I see it?" She asked, holding out a hand to the device.

Rachel looked up, but instead of responding, she just blinked a few times surveying the blonde from head to toes with a glint in her eyes. After a few seconds of awkward silence, the brunette finally shook her head gently side to side, as if regaining consciousness.

"Hey," she spoke, with the same strange spark in her eyes. "Hi.."

"Hi," the blonde smiled softly.

"Rachel." The brunette mumbled. "It's my name. I'm Rachel. Berry." She shook her head once again and held out her hand for Quinn to shake. "Rachel Berry."

Her hand was warm and smooth and so small. "Quinn Fabray."

"I know... You don't know me, but I see you every day." Rachel smiled broadly, still shaking her hand, then the smile faded and she cleared her throat. "And I didn't mean to sound like a crazy stalker... I mean, I see you on TV, in the morning... I like the way you present the news and..." She was still clutching the blonde's hand unconsciously. "And I guess I should probably stop talking right now, don't you think?" She giggled.

Quinn bit her lip to prevent her smile to grow further and glanced at their still joined hands between them.

"And I suppose you want your hand back too..."

"Yeah, I think I'll need it later, so..."

"Yeah..." Rachel gnawed at her lip and let go. "You are different in person."

Quinn's brows knitted together. "Is that a good thing?"

"It's strange, I guess. You are so... real..."

The blond chuckled. "Can I take that as a compliment?"

"Definitely!" Rachel agreed. "And you're much prettier in real life." She paused. "Not that you're ugly on TV or something. You're so beautiful that ugly would be an impossibility in your case..." She took a deep breath. "Sorry, I'm rambling like mad... It's just.." She looked down and remembered the dead phone in her hand. "I think I broke my brother's phone and I'm sure he'll murder me for it..."

"Oh, I'm sorry about that, I didn't see you coming."

"No! It was my fault! I was texting my dad and didn't even notice the door opening..." She tried to switch it on again, sighing when there was no response.

"Can I try?" Quinn asked, getting a little closer.

Rachel gave her the phone and took a hair tie out of her purse, pulling her dark hair up in a messy bun (the whole situation seemed to overheat the air around her) while Quinn reopened the cell phone.

"Aha.. I think I found the problem." The blonde announced, putting the blackberry together quickly, switching it on, and causing the screen lit up immediately.

Rachel's jaw dropped and she took a step closer pressing her arm against Quinn's for a better look. "How did you do that?"

"Magic." The blonde winked, "The battery was backwards."

"Really?"

"Really..." Quinn nodded, once again trying to hold back her smile.

Rachel met her gaze. "I would hug you right now, but we don't really know each other, so..."

The blonde laughed. "Well, we can meet now and after dinner you decide whether I get a hug or not..." She felt her face heat up as the words left her mouth. "Or you can laugh at me for saying that out loud and go find someone else to talk to. I swear I'll understand if you do that... "

Rachel - who had also blushed slightly at the blonde's suggestion - covered her mouth with one hand to conceal her grin. "I'd actually like to meet you.. I don't know anyone here except for my brother and today's hostesses, that would be your parents..." She buried her hands in her back pockets "I think I can get to know one family at a time."

"Ok.." They were quiet for a moment, smiling shyly at each other and Quinn had no idea what to say next. Probably anything coming out of her mouth would be highly embarrassing, so she decided to just take in the woman before her.

Rachel was really beautiful, like her sister said, and charming. Something about her was extremely captivating, probably her smile, or her more than warm eyes. She wore very high heels which made her almost as tall as Quinn (almost), a pair of skin tight jeans and a white tank top underneath a light pink cardigan. Her skin was tanned and flawless and her lips were a reddish shade of pink and so full and inviting.

In that moment, Quinn realized she really wanted to meet her. She felt a twinge of hope, perhaps her mother was not entirely wrong about this blind date thing after all.

"Oh, Quinnie, I see you've met our new neighbor..." Judy materialized out of nowhere, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Are you girls getting along?"

"Well, we just–" Started Quinn.

"Great!" Her mother cut out.

"–met.."

"Dinner will be served, you better hurry if you want to sit next to each other. Your brother is already seated, Rachel, darling... I think I saw him talking to Mrs. Harrison about personally cleaning her pool! I didn't know he still worked as a cleaner!"

"He doesn't." She replied, but Mrs. Fabray wasn't hearing.

"Well, I will gather everyone else, enjoy the dinner girls!"

They exchanged another glance and Quinn played anxiously with the cross on her neck. "I think we should..." She gestured inside with her free hand.

"Yes, please ..." Rachel stepped forward, holding the door open for the blonde.

"Thanks."

"Rach!"

"That's my brother." Rachel whispered, waving at Noah, who pointed to an empty seat beside him.

Rachel took her seat by Puck's side while Quinn sat across from them.

"Mrs. Harrison, this is Rachel, my sister..." Puck smiled gallantly to the woman who was at least 30 years older than him.

"Hello, nice to meet you." Rachel greeted politely.

"So you're the Broadway legend!" The tiny brunette smiled at the woman sitting next to Quinn. "I just learned that I've seen you in 'Les Miserables' a few years ago.."

The blonde raised an eyebrow. "You're an actress? I thought you worked with my mom at the hospital..."

"I do. As a volunteer."

"Oh..."

"Isn't she precious?" Ms. Harrison asked, resting her hands on Quinn's forearm.

"My sister and I watched 'Les Mis' on Broadway..." Quinn stared at the Rachel intently, trying to fit her into a character. "Ephonine?"

Rachel nodded with a smile, glad to be recognized.

"God, you made me cry so hard with 'On My Own'!"

"That's a compliment..." She chuckled.

"I usually don't cry at things like that, but... You're an amazing actress." She stated, straightening in her seat.

The brunette's cheek tinged red and she averted her eyes.

"Seriously ... Why aren't you on TV, or Hollywood?" Quinn asked, leaning forward.

"I was born for the stage. I love the rush and the pressure and the energy from the audience, the applauses, the music... I couldn't work away from my music..." She smiled softly to herself and Quinn caught herself smiling too. Captivating indeed... "Not to mention the benefit of privacy, I get my fair share of acknowledgment without having to run away from photographers, or revealing every part of my personal life to the world."

"And are you involved in some project right now? Because I'd love to watch you perform again..."

"Well, yes but no... After 'Les Mis' I decided to take a break from the stage and I am actually co directing an original show."

"Really? What show?"

"Well, we're currently in production, we have just started casting and we have yet to decide the official title... For now we're calling it 'The Project', which, oddly enough, wouldn't be a bad title."

"And are you enjoying... directing?"

"Yes and no. Again." She started gesturing. "I decided to become a director because I thought it would be a little less exhausting than the acting job, I mean, as a director I don't need to be at the theater every night, but It turns out that's not that easy either, stress levels are extreme!" She ran a hand through her hair, loosing the ponytail and Quinn watched as soft brown curls fell around her face and neck. "It's very hard, having to control a bunch of people you barely know..."

"Pfffff..." Noah gasped, as a reminder that the two women were not alone. "As if you didn't love bossing people around..."

Rachel scowled and kicked her brother's shin under the table.

"Owch!" He cried out. "Rachel!"

"What? I haven't done anything..." She teased with a smirk.

Quinn smiled at them. She was truly enjoying talking to Rachel, a lot more than she thought she would be.

The food arrived and they kept talking about the Rachel's show and Mrs. Harrison asked several questions about the Noah's business, but Quinn was sure the woman wasn't interested in pool cleaning at all.

Then the trio joined Fran, who was sitting alone near the pool and changed the conversation to family.

"We're not real siblings, technically..." Puck explained, ruffling Rachel's hair, who gently pushed him away.

"Our dads met when we were four." The brunette continued, resting a hand on her brother's leg.

"I have a mom, Sarah, she and my father were married for six years and divorced when I was two... I grew up between their houses, literally. My daddy's house was just two blocks away from mom's condo." He scratched his chin. "I always loved to spend time with daddy, and I always liked Leroy better than my mom's new husband, then, after my tenth birthday, I decided to just stay with them and mom was okay with it.."

"And Leroy would be my father. I was born out of an in vitro fertilization..." She drummed her fingers on Quinn's knee, causing the blonde's heart to skip a beat. "My dad really wanted a baby, and after ending a 10-years relationship with the man who should have been my other father, he decided to have me..."

"By himself?" Asked Frannie.

Rachel agreed. "Kind of weird thinking about a single dad, isn't it?"

Quinn and Fran nodded.

"But he did a good job and Tom, Noah's father, always treated me like his own..."

"This is pretty interesting..." Muttered Fran. "And where do they live now?"

"Oh, they live in Ohio." Answered Puck. "But they visit as many times as possible... They were here until last week to help us move."

"They met Judy and Russell..."

Quinn smiled, reminding lunch with her parents two weeks before. "Yes, dad told me about them the other day.."

...

"Russel! Russel, dear, come here!" Judy urged, causing her husband to change his course and stop promptly by her side.

"Have you tried Carmen's dessert?" He asked over a mouth full of ice cream. "This is the best ice cream I've ever had and I don't even like chocolate!" He proclaimed, studying the treat in his hand. "I think we can reconsider that raise she asked last month because this is just..."

"Russel" She squeezed his arm. "I'm not interested in our cook obvious cooking skills, I need you to see this. "She gestured towards the garden, more specifically to the illuminated part of the pool, where their daughters ware chatting with the new neighbors.

"Oh.. They seem to be getting along..."

"Getting along?" Judy faced her husband. "Have you seen the way Rachel touched Quinn's knee? Can't you feel the chemistry?"

"Well, they do look good together..."

"So cute, right?" She grinned. "If they get married, who do you think will be giving birth to our grandchildren?"

Once again, Russell stopped eating his ice cream and stared at his wife with an astonished expression. "They just met. And until last week you were looking for a therapist who could make Quinn straight."

"I know... But I hadn't seen them together by then. And I also did some research on the internet and watched all those videos of other mothers and gay couples, and.." She paused and clutched his arm again. "Look, look, Fran is leaving.. And Noah's too! They will finally get some alone time!"

Russell raised his eyebrows and laughed softly.

"What is it? Why are you laughing?" Judy asked, slightly aggravated.

"Nothing... I just remembered that your craziness was one of the reasons why I fell for you..." He spoke in a lower voice, dropping his ice cream on the sink and moving to hold her.

"Oh, Russel..." She let out a girlish giggle. "Wait, wait, Quinn is also standing up." She pressed a hand against the window. "She's coming this way! Why? "

==/==

**AN: I'll try and update as soon as I can, but motivation always help, so please, review if you want to know what happens next..**

**(Seriously, let me know what you're thinking :D)**


	4. The Sweetest Part

**AN: Sooo, last chapter...**

**It was great translating for you... I'll probably translate some of my other stories soon... How do you guys feel about Quinn being deaf and Rachel learning to use her words in a different way?**

**Anyways, thanks for everything, enjoy!**

**...**

**Part 4/4 – The Sweetest Part**

"Gee, it's almost eleven, and tomorrow is my 24 hours shift at the hospital!" Fran exclaimed, standing up and taking a step backwards. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Rachel. And Noah, ..."

"Actually, I should go too." He stated. Getting to his feet in a heartbeat. "I'll walk you to your car." Rachel smiled as he offered her a wink before making his way to the house with Fran. He would probably be beautifully rejected and it was always fun to mess with him after it happened.

The two women were sitting side by side on one of the pool chairs and Quinn bit her lip, feeling nervous all of a sudden. "I think I need a drink." She announced, not knowing what else to say. "Can I get you anything?"

"Oh, yes, please..."

"What can I get you?" She asked, standing up slowly.

Rachel shrugged. "You choose."

"Ok.. Be right back." She turned away, heading up to the house and rolling her eyes when she found her parents peeking through the kitchen window.

"Quinn! What are you doing inside? Why did you left Rachel alone? "Judy inquired as she walked through the door.

Quinn looked out and saw the brunette get up and walk around the pool. A good part of the guests had already left, but the brunette greeted the ones who were still outside before stopping in the same place she was sitting and face the water. The blonde smiled to herself and passed by her mother without answering, opening the refrigerator.

"You seemed to be doing so well! Did something happen?"

"It did, I got thirsty." She took two glasses from the cupboard and began to fill them with water.

"Oh.. You're drinking water?" Judy glanced at the now full glasses. "That's not very romantic..." She nudged Russel in the ribs. "Your father can get you that wine he won from his boss last year, right dear?"

"What?" he asked, eyes widening. "You know how expensive that wine is?"

"I have no idea, honey, but it's not as if you'll ever drink it, so..."

"No thanks, I appreciate the offer, but I'll have to drive home later." Quinn closed the water bottle and put it back in place.

Oh, but you can spend the night here! Your room is still empty..."Judy paused. "Or maybe Rachel will invite you to see her place..." She smiled dreamily. "Russell, go get your wine!"

"But..."

Judy just gave him a look and he snorted, rolling up his sleeves before heading to the office.

Quinn laughed. "I don't understand... Why are you doing this?"

"I want you to know that I accept your... your lifestyle." Judy explained and Quinn arched an eyebrow. "And Rachel is a wonderful girl. You look adorable together."

"Ok.." Quinn looked a little skeptical. "You know you don't have to do anything..."

"Here it is." Russell returned with the wine bottle and opened it quickly. "Use it wisely, sweetie..."

"Thanks ..." She mumbled, analyzing the label in French without understanding half of it. "Now, I would really appreciate it if you guys stopped spying on us."

"I'll try to keep your mother busy, but I can't promise anything."

"I only want to know how things are going!"

"I promise I'll tell you everything later, Mom, but now, a little privacy would be nice."

"Come on Juds..." Russell took her by the hand and pulled her toward the living room. She grumbled a little bit, but ended up following him. Quinn poured the fancy wine into two glasses.

...

"I'm back.." She announced softly, standing right behind Rachel, who had took of her shoes and seated by the pool to wet her feet. Quinn gave her the glasses and sat by her side, pulling her dress up slightly and slipping her feet into the water as well.

"Doing this makes me think about my childhood." Shared Rachel, kicking the water. "I have always been tiny and it took me a while to be tall enough to enter the pool without drowning on the shallow part, than I used to just sit like this and watch while dad and daddy played with Noah..."

"I don't know how old you are, but I'm pretty sure that floaters had already been invented by the time." Teased the blonde, tasting the wine and raising her eyebrows in surprise, it was really good.

Rachel laughed through her nose. "They had, but I never found a reason to trust into a piece of inflatable plastic, not to mention that my brother would always pull me to the deep part and I was scared..." Quinn smiled and felt the urge to wrap her arms around the brunette, but ended up resting her free hand on her own knee, playing with the hem of her dress. "And I'll be 27 in December, for the record..." She continued, sipping at the wine. "Hmmm.." She hummed her approval. "But now, although I love talking about my life, I would like to know something about yours..."

"Hummm... Don't you see me every day?"

Rachel smiled softly and nodded. "I do... But I don't really know anything about you. Besides the obvious, of course."

"Obvious?"

"What I read on Wikipedia."

"I'm on Wikipedia?" Quinn looked up, a bit surprised.

Rachel blushed. "Well, yeah... You never googled your own name?"

"No..."

The brunette stared at her skeptically. "Really? Wow... Sorry, but what planet did you come from?"

"I'm sure you can find the answer on Wikipedia." Quinn smiled, scrunching up her nose in a way that made Rachel's heart skip a beat. "May I ask why you decided to investigate my name on the most reliable source of the whole Internet?"

"Your mom. She seemed so excited about this dinner and I wanted to be prepared. So last night I decided to do some research on you and your sister. I must say that the search for your name was much more effective." The brunette replied with a shrug, trying to sound nonchalant. "Anyway, I didn't learn much about you, only that you are a journalist, what I already knew. And that you're your parents daughter, which is also not new..." She raised a hand to her chin. "The only thing I didn't know was that you went to Columbia. Very impressive, by the way..."

"Yes, because Julliard is not impressive at all..." Quinn teased. "I guess there's nothing else to say about me." She shrugged and swung her feet inside the water, creating small waves between them. "I have a cat. Do you like cats?"

"I love cats! Pets in general, actually... Although I never had any because my brother is ridiculously allergic."

"My dad never liked pets and we could never have them here... The first thing I did when I moved out was adopt Marvin." The blonde smiled.

"I don't think I could take care of a dog or a cat... It's a lot of responsibility and all my goldfishes died within a week." She said with a grimace.

"Goldfishes never last more than a week. I'm pretty sure this has already been scientifically proved..." Quinn gestured with her hand before it rested on the marble between them.

Rachel ran a hand through her hair and lowered hers too, resting it next to the blonde's, who in turn moved her pinkie a little to the right, lightly touching the singer's finger and admiring the contrast between their skin tones under the trembling yellowish lights coming from the pool.

The brunette bit her lip and glanced up at Quinn, being careful not to move her hand, afraid that the journalist would retreat hers away. "So you like cats... But I assume that this is not your only interest.."

"No, I also enjoy long walks on the beach and candlelight dinners and.." She looked at Rachel from the corner of her eye and felt her face grow hot. "... I'm kidding. I have nothing against the candlelight dinners, but I hate sand and heat makes me so uncomfortable. Yes, I know that's not what you meant when you asked, but..." She cleared her throat, totally embarrassed. "I work as a freelancer for the Times, occasionally..."

Rachel smiled bashfully. "That was not on Wikipedia."

"My work for the Times, or my clear brain damage?"

Rachel giggled and her hand slipped an inch to the left, touching Quinn's more directly.

"I do some cover ups for them, for some reason, the last few were all for the sports section." She elaborated some more, taking a big gulp of wine. "I really enjoyed doing them... Interviewing athletes and watching the games and... Do you like that sort of thing?"

"Interviewing athletes? I don't know, never done it before." Rachel joked, making Quinn laugh. "But answering your question, I never really liked sports. Music is more my thing. Although I used to love watching football games as a kid, just for the pleasure of screaming in the middle of the living room without being reprimanded." She sipped on her wine. "But now that you mentioned, I can see you as a sports reporter.. I mean, you're fun and athletic and I'm sure your presence would increase the audience of any sports channel. Even I would like sports if you were the one talking about it... "

Quinn smiled sheepishly noticing the flirtatious tone on Rachel's voice. She stared at their hands, which remained in the same position side by side and decided to make a move. She lifted her fingers from the marble floor and delicately covered Rachel's hand with her own, looking up to find the most beautiful smile take over the brunettes features.

Her heart raced as she felt the singer's hand slowly turn under hers and their fingers intertwined at their own accord. None of them spoke for a long moment as Rachel moved her thumb, stroking the back of Quinn's hand softly.

The blonde moistened her lips. She couldn't recall the last time she had felt so attracted to anyone and she was surprised to notice that it was not just physical attraction, she was actually having a great time. It was easy to talk to Rachel. The conversation flowed, despite the embarrassing parts. Although the brunette also had her moments...

Both girls were absolutely charmed with the other. They kept talking about random things and Quinn played with Rachel's fingers, stroking her palm and piking at her nails absently. It was so comfortable. And even though they were aware it was late, neither really wanted to look at the watch, knowing that when they did, the magic would fade and they would have to go back to their lives.

"...but I really enjoy the work at the hospital. I could never be a doctor though, but I like helping others, especially the kids."

"I couldn't be a doctor either, despite coming from a family of doctors and nurses."

"Having someone's life in your hands, is a huge responsibility."

Quinn nodded. "Especially a child. Don't know how my mom can deal with that.."

"You know, I think kids are easier to work with, at least as a volunteer. They don't really understand much about the idea of being sick... Hurts much more in me than on them, the situation they're in I mean."

"Yeah.."

"I really like teaching kids..."

"Hmm, I was a kid one day, so..." Quinn bit her lip and dropped Rachel's hand to cover her own face as soon as the words left her mouth. "Ok, I really don't know where that came from... I'm sorry."

"No." Rachel chuckled, pulling Quinn's hand back down and holding it between hers. "You're funny..."

"Yeah... No. I'm just very good at making a fool of myself. But thank you.." During the conversation, they ended up getting closer to one another and when Quinn leaned to the side, their shoulders brushed.

"You know, I was just awful when I started volunteering." Rachel went on, squeezing her hand.

"Sorry, but I don't believe you..."

"Seriously! Some people think I'm way too honest sometimes and such excess causes me to have a tendency to criticize others. What is aggravated by the fact that I usually think I'm right, apparently..." She was blushing a little and Quinn smiled to herself. "But it's not my fault, you have to agree with me, most people are just so wrong all the time! I like to think I'm doing a favor by correcting them." She glanced at the blonde. "Saving them from further embarrassment and teaching them right." She licked her lips. "Anyway, my inability to lie was a problem with the kids because I couldn't correct nor criticize what they did."

Quinn furrowed her brows. "Okay... And how did you manage that?"

"Mmm.. It's a long story, but let's just say it all started when this cute little girl burst into tears saying 'Aunt Rachel' was being mean..." She mumbled, burying her face in Quinn's shoulder.

"Are you serious?"

Rachel nodded against her shoulder.

"I can't picture you being mean." She really tried, but Rachel had been so sweet the whole night...

"That's because I still haven't found anything to criticize you for." She pulled back a little. "Believe me, I can be pretty harsh sometimes.. But as I said, I improved a lot in the last two years." She paused. "Well, at least I stopped picking at innocent children."

Quinn stared at her for a few seconds and began to giggle, quietly at first, but soon her giggle turned into a full laughter. "God, you're even weirder than me!" She used her free hand to wipe away a tear that had escaped from her right eye. "And I really like that... I like you." She finished softly.

Rachel grinned. "I like you too... We're talking for hours and I couldn't found any flaws to criticize. I think this says a lot."

The blonde grinned back and looked around for the first time since she had brought the wine. The garden was completely deserted and dark, except for the pool lights. Everything was quiet and she felt a gust of cold wind swirl between them. Her smile faded and she narrowed her eyes.

"What time do you think it is?"

"That's a very good question." Replied Rachel, pulling her phone out of her pocket. "Wow!" Her eyes widened.

"What?" Quinn asked, leaning over her to find that it was already past three in the morning. "Wow... I literally haven't noticed the time go by."

"Me neither." Rachel agreed. "In fact, I don't even feel tired..."

"Weird..."

The brunette nodded. "It's getting chilly out here, right?" She said, dropping Quinn's hand and hugging herself.

The blonde didn't hesitate this time, before wrapping her arm around Rachel, bringing her closer. They were silent and the journalist rested her cheek on top of the singer's head.

"Quinn?"

"Humm?"

"Can I ask you something? A personal something?"

"I guess.." She mumbled, staring at the water.

"At your Wikipedia page, the references linked to some websites that said you... are dating Blaine Anderson."

Quinn snorted and closed her eyes, causing the brunette to look up.

"What?"

"Nothing. It's just that a lot of people seem to think that and I honestly don't get it. Does it really exist that much chemistry between us? Because I can't see it."

"That means you are not dating then?"

"Yes.. Or, no, we're not dating." She chuckled again. "He's not my type."

Rachel contemplated her features for a moment. "What's your type?"

Quinn opened one eye, then the other. "You," she whispered before letting her arm fall from Rachel's shoulders. "Sorry, I didn't mean to..."

"No." Rachel squeezed her knee, smiling softly and shaking her head. "I can't believe Noah was right..."

Quinn glanced up. "What?"

"Never mind." She spoke quickly and grabbed the blonde's arm, passing it over her shoulders again. "And are you... Seeing anyone who's more like your type?" She questioned a little hesitantly.

Quinn took a deep breath. "Wanna hear something funny?"

"Humm?"

"You know when my mom said she was eager for us to meet?"

"Yes..."

"Well, she sort of expected we would... She was hoping for us to..." She cleared her throat, not knowing why she had decided to tell that to Rachel, but it seemed funny a minute ago...

"For us to what?" The brunette pulled back a little more so she could look her in the eye.

"I came out to my parents a couple of weeks ago and my mother decided I need a girlfriend." She blurted out.

Rachel frowned and opened her mouth, shutting it soon after, as she began to laugh. "That sounds like Judy..."

"Yeah, but this time I think she really went nuts ..." The blonde chuckled nervously.

Rachel went on in between laughter. "And what's she been doing, setting up blind dates for you?"

Quinn studied the singer's face, feeling a burst of butterflies inside her stomach. "Kind of.. Yeah..."

Rachel covered her mouth with her fingers in an attempt to contain her laughter and opened her eyes, finding Quinn's, who stared at her intently. Her laugh soon turned into a shaky intake of breath when she realized what was happening. "Oh.." She ran a hand through her hair. "She... You and... Me?"

The blonde nodded and Rachel gazed at the water that reflected yellow lights beautifully, casting trembling shadows around the garden.

"Want to hear another funny thing?" Quinn asked, ducking her head to catch her gaze again.

"I guess..." Rachel breathed out.

"I'm glad she did what she did." She fisted the hem of her dress. "Because tonight I met someone who made all that madness worthy..."

Rachel couldn't help but smile as Quinn stopped breathing all together, not knowing what to expect from the brunette, who just looked into her eyes for a second that seemed to last for hours.

Finally, the singer moved, getting slightly closer to the blonde and placing a hand over hers, squeezing it for a moment before moving up to her arm, causing Quinn to burst into shivers that began at the base of her spine and spread throughout her whole body. The traveling hand stopped by her shoulder while the other one rested against her pale cheek.

Rachel stopped moving when the tip of her nose brushed Quinn's nose and the blonde blinked a few times. "Then I think it would be wrong to disappoint your mother..." She whispered, making Quinn's heart collapse.

Some people might say that the moment preceding a first kiss is always better than the kiss itself. And that's partly true, but at that second, Quinn could not think of anything better than the feeling of Rachel's lips covering her own oh so softly.

A sound like a whimper left her throat and she squeezed her eyes shut, taking a hand to the back of Rachel's neck, afraid she could pull away. Rachel whimpered as well, a little louder than Quinn, when the blonde's tongue finally met hers.

Rachel's mouth still tasted of the wine they had been drinking and it was so warm... They were so involved in the kiss that didn't even notice everything lighting up around the house, nor the person who was spying on them through the second floor window.

...

"Awww!" Judy cooed, putting a hand over her heart. "Russel.." she called, turning to find her husband sleeping soundly in bed. "Russell Fabray!" She threw her slipper at him, and watched as he sat up abruptly.

"What?" He lit the lamp and looked at his wife with wide eyes. "What is it? Are you hurt?"

"Look! They are kissing! Finally!" She rested her forehead against the window and switched the outside lights on. "It took them so long! I thought it was never going to happen!"

"I can't believe you spent the whole night spying on our daughter!" He scolded, stopping behind her to spy on them too.

"It wasn't all night! I just got up to get a glass of water!" She protested, pointing to the empty glass on the nightstand.

"Nice try darling, but that's my glass."

She felt her ears grow warm. "Oh, look, they're looking at us!" She said, happily waving to their daughter.

"I think she's saying something, darling.." Russel spoke, stepping closer and opening the window.

"... doing?" Quinn's voice entered the room and Judy grinned.

"Can you repeat that, Quinnie? We couldn't hear you!" She raised her voice.

"I asked what are you guys doing?!"

"Oh, dear! I'm so happy for you!"

"I don't think she is very happy to be interrupted, Jud..." Russell muttered. "Nothing, sweetie! Your mother and I just got up for a glass of water!" He yelled at the garden.

Judy glared at him in disbelief before turning back towards the two girls. "Do not worry about us, honey! You can resume what you were doing!" She smiled. "And if you want to get inside, your room is ready, darling..."

"Er.. Ok!" Quinn shouted back, her voice sounding a little sharper than usual.

"Good night, girls!" Russell said, waving one last time.

"See you tomorrow, Rachel!" Judy managed to say before being dragged back to bed by her husband.

...

Quinn rested her head on Rachel's shoulder, feeling extremely uncomfortable. She could feel the brunette's body shake in silent laughter.

"Your mom is..."

"Crazy." Quinn finished, raising her head.

"I like her." Rachel rasped, gripping the straps of the blonde's dress and pulling her for one more kiss. "Mmmm..."

"So..." Quinn started, a few minutes later, biting Rachel's lip softly.

"Humm?"

"It's cold out here..." She managed to whisper between kisses.

"It is..." Agreed Rachel, deepening the kiss and making Quinn forget her reasoning for a moment.

"Do you want to..." She tried again, kissing the tip of her nose delicately before moving her lips to a soft cheek. "... get inside?"

Rachel held her chin and looked into her eyes before smiling and leaning back in for one last kiss.

"I'll take that as a yes..." Quinn mumbled pecking her lips a few times.

"Quinn?" Rachel called as they entered the house.

"Yeah?"

"You talk too much when you're anxious."

"Is that you being critical?" She asked, resting her hands on Rachel's hips and pressing their lips together.

"Yes." Rachel smiled in the kiss.

She brushed a few strands of brown hair away from her eyes. "That's kind of endearing.."

The brunette smiled shyly. "Quinn?"

"Humm?"

"Shhh..."

...

The End

...

**AN: Thanks for reading!**

**Please review!**

**(and let me know if you'd like to translate some other stories..)**


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